UNILAG Medical Student Drowns at Elegushi Beach

A 200-level student of the Department of
Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of
Lagos, Unilag, Idi-Araba, Eniola Abiola has
drowned.

The incident occurred at the Elegushi Beach,
Ikate, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, of
Lagos, where the deceased was attending a
friend’s birthday party.

Abiola was reported to have got to the party at
8:15 p.m. and later joined her friends a few
meteres away from the shoreline to take
photographs.

An eyewitness told P.M.NEWS that while they
were posing for a snapshot, a heavy wave
suddenly arose and rolled fiercely to the shore.
“The wave came the first time, but receded. It
came a second time, and floored her. As she tried to escape like others, a third one came and swept her away,” she said.

However, rescue effort was impossible at the
time, as the life guards at the beach were said to have closed at about 5 p.m. on the fateful day.

When P.M.NEWS visited Abiola’s school this
morning, few of her classmates were seen
discussing the incident.
Her class representative, simply identified as
Seun, said her classmates were still in shock and that they would miss her.
The President, Unilag Students Union, Wale Peters, said: “The death was unfortunate, because the deceased was an easy-going, brilliant and lively girl.”
Effort to get the university to officially comment on the matter was abortive. But an official, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, said the university cannot bear responsibility for Abiola’s death since it occurred outside the school environment.
The deceased father, Dr. Eniola, an eye doctor
and university staff was not available for
comment at the time of this report.